Continuous process for cooking bacon with improved recovery

Abstract

An improved continuous process for cooking bacon includes the steps of continuously feeding bacon strips in three or more rows to an inlet of a spiral cooking oven, moving the bacon strips along a spiral path inside the spiral oven, applying a cooking fluid into the spiral oven and through the spiral path, and cooking the bacon strips in the spiral oven to a yield percentage having a mean bandwidth variation not greater than 4.5%. A conveyor belt having variable weaving includes belt openings that are initially larger through an inner side of the belt than through an outer side of the belt, when the belt is straight. When the belt collapses into the spiral configuration, the openings adjust so that the areal size of the openings is similar on both lateral sides of the belt, resulting in more even distribution of cooking fluid and more uniform cooking. By cooking the bacon more uniformly, the product yield can be increased significantly.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)(1) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 197,209, filed on 24 Oct. 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention is directed to a continuous process for cooking bacon, in which the weight percent of the cooked bacon relative to the raw uncooked bacon is higher, and the bacon is cooked more uniformly.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Commercial cooking of bacon has conventionally been performed in linear industrial microwave cooking systems that occupy substantial floor space in a food processing facility or other location and involve high energy costs. As the bacon is cooked, it shrinks and loses weight rapidly due primarily to the removal of fat. The bacon is cooked until it reaches a yield percentage determined by dividing the weight of the cooked bacon by the weight of the starting uncooked bacon. The desired yiel...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]With the foregoing in mind, it is a feature and advantage of the invention to provide a continuous process for cooking bacon that has improved cooking uniformity and higher overall yield percentage, and requires substantially less floor space than linear microwave oven cooking processes of the prior art.

to provide a continuous process for cooking bacon that has improved cooking uniformity and higher overall yield percentage, and requires substantially less floor space than linear microwave oven cooking processes of the prior art.

Problems solved by technology

Commercial cooking of bacon has conventionally been performed in linear industrial microwave cooking systems that occupy substantial floor space in a food processing facility or other location and involve high energy costs.

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